Burea Report

HYDERABAD, Sept 8: Federal Minister for Food, Livestock and Agriculture Sikandar Hayat Bosan said on Saturday that sugar mills in Sindh would carry out crushing between Oct 15 and 20 and start sugar production by Nov 1, whereas in the Punjab the process would be completed between Nov 1 and 10.

He said in response journalists’ queries before chairing the inaugural session of two-day national conference on agriculture that “the decision has been taken in consultation with provincial governments and mill owners.”

He said that in Sindh sugar mills would start crushing between Oct 15 and 20 and by Nov 1 they would start producing sugar. In the Punjab, crushing would begin on Nov 1 and sugar production on Nov 10, he added.

He said that the government was fully aware of the issues of farming community. There was no ban on import or export of cotton and farmers were getting handsome prices, he said.

He said that the government had once again announced Rs21 billion subsidy on urea, fertiliser and phosphate and no duty had been levied on the import of agriculture machinery.

“The flour in Pakistan is cheaper than in India where it is being sold at Rs24 per kilogram while we are having it at Rs15 to Rs16 per kilogram,” he said. He said that rise had been noted in wheat prices in international market.